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Brigit Kyei-Baffour
Principal
Brigit Kyei-Baffour advises clients on issues related to market access, policy, and reimbursement strategies for digital health, diagnostic, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies.
She helps clients design and optimize patient support solutions, assess the impact of social determinants of health on specific patient populations, and evaluate market dynamics shaping coverage, coding, and reimbursement throughout a product’s life cycle via primary and secondary research.
Prior to joining Avalere, Brigit held consulting roles at The Lewin Group where she managed project tasks related to Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model and Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative, and at Covance Market Access Services working with the Access and Commercial Strategy practice.
Brigit holds an MBA in health management and policy from the George Washington University School of Business and a BS in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Authored Content
The OIG found oversight gaps in Medicare's RPM program, especially in billing accuracy and integrity, highlighting need for safeguards and provider education.
The new Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies pathway will provide Medicare coverage for up to five FDA-designated Breakthrough Devices per year.
At the 2024 BIO International Convention, Avalere led discussions on post-IRA patient access and affordability and reimbursement pathways for digital therapeutics.
The FemTech industry is rapidly growing and evolving as health equity and women’s health research become a larger focus and target priority in the US.
The FDA’s final rule to regulate LDTs as medical devices brings on numerous uncertainties for stakeholders.
With regulatory changes on the horizon, diagnostics stakeholders should prepare for a new evidence development and commercialization environment.
In this installment of our 2024 Trends Influencing Rare Disease series, Avalere experts summarize key learnings for pharmaceutical companies to consider.
In this installment of our 2024 Trends Influencing Rare Disease series, Avalere experts dive into access drivers and considerations in the rare disease space.
The AMA’s upcoming CPT Editorial Panel meeting on coding and billing for remote monitoring will shape the future of digital health technology.
Among Medicare FFS beneficiaries with diagnoses that are indicative of obesity, total healthcare spending rises dramatically as BMI group increases.
Insurance coverage of anti-obesity medications is increasing, but patient access under Medicare remains uncertain.
The development and launch of rare disease therapies require tailored strategies that account for unique patient journeys and the broader evolving landscape.
As the US value assessment landscape evolves, a new third-party framework may standardize requirements and open reimbursement pathways for digital health.
Significant investment and attention has been paid to the digital health space in recent years as a promising frontier in improving care for patients. In this video, Avalere experts discuss several solutions, including increased, streamlined stakeholder collaboration, improvements in evidence generation, established value assessment frameworks, and identification of a clear reimbursement pathway that can create a path for more optimal access, uptake, and utilization.
Avalere experts delve into the dynamic patient assistance program landscape, including copay accumulators and maximizers, alternative funding initiatives, and the repercussions of policy shifts such as the Inflation Reduction Act and state-level copay accumulator bans.
Decentralized clinical trials offer the potential to democratize rare disease research, advancing drug development and improving patient experiences.
CMS recently convened stakeholders for a public HCPCS meeting to discuss billing, coding, and reimbursement of non-drugs and non-biological products.
Increased use of alternative funding programs has introduced new access challenges for patients, plans, and manufacturers for specialty therapies.
Avalere experts discuss trends and advancements in the kidney disease space, including payment models, digital health interventions, and key considerations for manufacturers.
The COVID-19 public health emergency and advancements in digital health technologies accelerated the adoption of Hospital at Home, a promising acute-care delivery model.
As digital health technologies evolve, manufacturers seek clarity on regulatory pathways and access channels.
Medicaid redeterminations will bring changes to individual prescription drug access. Manufacturers should consider the impact on patient support programs.
Avalere survey finds 65% of providers experience challenges associated with billing, coding, and reimbursement for RPM.
Digital therapeutics is the fastest growing field in digital health, offering promising benefits for patient outcomes and healthcare system efficiencies.
Increasing clinical trial diversity presents unique challenges for rare disease treatments due to population size, disease heterogeneity, and low awareness.
A diagnostic odyssey is defined as the time between when a symptom or feature of a genetic or rare disease is noted to the time when a final diagnosis is made.
Among LIS Medicare patients using oral/IV therapy for kidney cancer, social risk factors may impact adherence, even when the OOP burden is reduced.
Assessing barriers that impact patient access to obesity care and educating stakeholders on how to mitigate them can advance solutions toward improving care.
Digital health tools are an increasingly important component of complete patient support solutions that can optimize patient care, yet they are currently underutilized.
Avalere found that characteristics of Medicare patients’ place of residence influenced adherence to combination treatment regimens for multiple myeloma.
Uncertainty related to the Dobbs ruling could have downstream effects on reproductive healthcare that go beyond abortion.
Join us for a live, expert discussion on life sciences industry trends to watch in Q4.
Changes to rare disease policies and payers’ approaches to coverage could have significant impacts on product development, patient access, and reimbursement.
Tune into the third episode in the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast miniseries focused on the evolving kidney care landscape. In the final segment, our Market Access and Policy experts take a deeper dive into disparities in kidney care and discuss how various groups are looking to address these gaps.
Tune into the third episode in the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast miniseries focused on the evolving kidney care landscape. In the final segment, our Market Access and Policy experts take a deeper dive into disparities in kidney care and discuss how various groups are looking to address these gaps.
The digital health technologies (DHTs) market is projected to grow from $3.5 billion in 2020 to $23.5 billion by 2030. Stakeholders must navigate complex pathways as the FDA develops regulatory frameworks for DHTs.
The FY 2022 update of the ICD-10-CM includes 19 new Z codes that relate to social determinants of health (SDOH). Z codes present an opportunity to standardize and improve patient SDOH data collection to assist stakeholders in addressing non-clinical needs that impact health outcomes and healthcare costs.
From policy and regulatory changes to COVID-19 and driving customer engagement, the healthcare environment continues to require healthcare stakeholders to adapt their strategies. How will you stay ahead of the trends impacting your business?
A recent Pear Therapeutics–Avalere survey of 30 payers and 10 employer self-insured groups identified numerous insights to direct future efforts for broader adoption and coverage of prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs).
Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTs) are a growing and unique treatment modality that can provide expanded options for treatment to patients. As the landscape for these treatments develop across multiple therapeutic areas, challenges related to coverage, reimbursement, and access will need to be solved to advance broader adoption and utilization across key stakeholders.
Tune into another episode of the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on disease education. In this segment, the final in our series on cell and gene therapies, experts from our Market Access practice discuss the need for patient support in cell and gene therapies, and the role that manufacturers and other stakeholders can play in providing it.
Tune into another episode of the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on disease education. In this segment, the final in our series on cell and gene therapies, experts from our Market Access practice discuss the need for patient support in cell and gene therapies, and the role that manufacturers and other stakeholders can play in providing it.
In light of proposed changes to the ESRD Treatment Choices Model to address health disparities, an Avalere analysis of Medicare claims found gaps in access to and utilization of specific dialysis-related services by patient race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Reducing health disparities is critical to advancing health equity, and each stakeholder has a role to play.
Digital health solutions continue to advance the way healthcare is delivered. Through research and development as well as stakeholder partnerships, life science companies can leverage digital health technologies to optimize access along the patient care journey.
Manufacturers seeking Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for cell therapies will need to assess the financial and logistical burden on patients and develop novel solutions to help alleviate these challenges.
Tune into the second segment of the Avalere Health Essential Voice series focused on disease education. In this segment, experts from our Market Access practice discuss rare disease patient support programs and the need for stakeholder partnerships to address many of the barriers patients and their caregivers face.
Tune into the second segment of the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on disease education. In this segment, experts from our Market Access practice discuss rare disease patient support programs and the need for stakeholder partnerships to address many of the barriers patients and their caregivers face.
Internet of Things (IoT) is a catch-all term that refers to any device that can connect to a network (including the Internet) and communicate with other devices.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) rates have grown substantially over the years and have placed a significant burden on the US healthcare system. While prevention efforts continue to advance, including the availability of screening tools and early prevention therapies, systemic disparities still preclude equitable access to preventive services. These will need to be addressed as a key component of strengthening patient access to preventive care and lowering the incidence of disease.
With a number of cell and gene therapies (CGTs) expected to obtain Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the next 3 years, stakeholders must consider the unique patient access and affordability barriers that may limit patient ability to receive these novel treatments. Stakeholders should explore affordability solutions that can optimize access, or they risk excluding patients from obtaining potentially life-saving treatments.
Tune into our second episode in the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on social determinants of health (SDOH). In this segment, Avalere experts from the Center for Healthcare Transformation and Market Access practices discuss the strategies for SDOH solutions, specifically in the manufacturer space.
As the economic and social impact of COVID-19 change how patients access and receive care, manufacturers and third-party suppliers must consider how to evolve their patient support programs to meet the shifting access and affordability needs of patients.
Tune in to hear the first episode in our 3-part series that focuses on CMS’s most recent proposed payment rules. In episode 1, we’ll be focusing on the outpatient prospective payment system proposed rule, more informally known as the OPPS.
Avalere experts published a supplement in the June 2019 American Journal of Managed Care entitled “Ensuring Appropriate Access to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Therapy.”
Recent developments in the specialty pharmaceutical marketplace merit distinct attention from manufacturers.
Beginning in 2019, CMS will reimburse for 5 codes relating to virtual care delivery and remote monitoring